Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

47-5081 Helpers--Extraction Workers

Help extraction craft workers, such as earth drillers, blasters and explosives workers, derrick operators, and mining machine operators, by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include supplying equipment or cleaning work area. Apprentice workers are classified with the appropriate skilled construction trade occupation (47-2011 through 47-2231).

National estimates for Helpers--Extraction Workers
Industry profile for Helpers--Extraction Workers
Geographic profile for Helpers--Extraction Workers

National estimates for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
12,740	6.1 %	$ 18.82	$ 39,150	1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 12.65	$ 14.90	$ 18.20	$ 22.67	$ 26.79
Annual Wage (2)	$ 26,300	$ 30,990	$ 37,860	$ 47,160	$ 55,730

Industry profile for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Helpers--Extraction Workers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Mining	6,850	2.52	$ 18.74	$ 38,970
Utility System Construction	2,850	0.51	$ 18.32	$ 38,110
Coal Mining	660	1.53	$ 23.31	$ 48,480
Other Specialty Trade Contractors	550	0.08	$ 16.87	$ 35,090
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying	380	0.39	$ 19.74	$ 41,050

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Support Activities for Mining	6,850	2.52	$ 18.74	$ 38,970
Coal Mining	660	1.53	$ 23.31	$ 48,480
Metal Ore Mining	280	0.70	$ 20.65	$ 42,950
Utility System Construction	2,850	0.51	$ 18.32	$ 38,110
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying	380	0.39	$ 19.74	$ 41,050

Top paying industries for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Coal Mining	660	1.53	$ 23.31	$ 48,480
Metal Ore Mining	280	0.70	$ 20.65	$ 42,950
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	30	(7)	$ 19.99	$ 41,570
Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying	380	0.39	$ 19.74	$ 41,050
Support Activities for Mining	6,850	2.52	$ 18.74	$ 38,970

Geographic profile for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Helpers--Extraction Workers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Helpers--Extraction Workers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Texas	4,940	0.41	4.46	$ 17.33	$ 36,040
California	830	0.05	0.55	$ 22.62	$ 47,040
Arizona	760	0.27	2.92	$ 19.82	$ 41,230
Nevada	680	0.54	5.94	$ 19.09	$ 39,710
Kentucky	460	0.26	2.81	$ 19.03	$ 39,580

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Helpers--Extraction Workers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada	680	0.54	5.94	$ 19.09	$ 39,710
Alaska	160	0.53	5.78	$ 23.40	$ 48,680
Texas	4,940	0.41	4.46	$ 17.33	$ 36,040
Montana	130	0.28	3.06	$ 17.11	$ 35,590
Arizona	760	0.27	2.92	$ 19.82	$ 41,230

Top paying states for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alabama	210	0.11	1.20	$ 27.64	$ 57,490
Alaska	160	0.53	5.78	$ 23.40	$ 48,680
California	830	0.05	0.55	$ 22.62	$ 47,040
West Virginia	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 21.85	$ 45,450
Illinois	100	0.02	0.19	$ 21.77	$ 45,280

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	500	0.24	2.59	$ 20.36	$ 42,350
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	450	0.12	1.36	$ 15.84	$ 32,950
Midland, TX	330	3.28	35.84	$ 18.20	$ 37,850
Odessa, TX	320	4.37	47.72	$ 19.54	$ 40,650
Corpus Christi, TX	250	1.36	14.84	$ 16.59	$ 34,500
Bakersfield, CA	240	0.80	8.73	$ 24.11	$ 50,150
Lafayette, LA	190	0.98	10.73	$ 15.90	$ 33,070
Longview, TX	140	1.49	16.28	$ 17.93	$ 37,300
Farmington, NM	110	2.60	28.41	$ 18.77	$ 39,050
Tyler, TX	100	1.06	11.63	$ 21.22	$ 44,130

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Odessa, TX	320	4.37	47.72	$ 19.54	$ 40,650
Midland, TX	330	3.28	35.84	$ 18.20	$ 37,850
Farmington, NM	110	2.60	28.41	$ 18.77	$ 39,050
Longview, TX	140	1.49	16.28	$ 17.93	$ 37,300
Corpus Christi, TX	250	1.36	14.84	$ 16.59	$ 34,500
Tyler, TX	100	1.06	11.63	$ 21.22	$ 44,130
Lafayette, LA	190	0.98	10.73	$ 15.90	$ 33,070
Greeley, CO	100	0.98	10.69	$ 17.49	$ 36,370
Beckley, WV	40	0.98	10.68	$ 19.17	$ 39,870
Bakersfield, CA	240	0.80	8.73	$ 24.11	$ 50,150

Top paying metropolitan areas for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Oklahoma City, OK	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 24.95	$ 51,890
Bakersfield, CA	240	0.80	8.73	$ 24.11	$ 50,150
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 23.22	$ 48,290
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	90	0.03	0.37	$ 22.04	$ 45,850
Tyler, TX	100	1.06	11.63	$ 21.22	$ 44,130
Syracuse, NY	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 21.11	$ 43,900
Fresno, CA	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 21.09	$ 43,870
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	500	0.24	2.59	$ 20.36	$ 42,350
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	50	0.04	0.47	$ 19.94	$ 41,480
Odessa, TX	320	4.37	47.72	$ 19.54	$ 40,650

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area	590	6.43	70.23	$ 19.26	$ 40,070
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area	200	1.43	15.58	$ 23.32	$ 48,510
Alaska nonmetropolitan area	140	1.43	15.58	$ 23.20	$ 48,250
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area	80	1.32	14.39	$ 17.54	$ 36,480
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area	70	0.25	2.70	$ 16.96	$ 35,270

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada nonmetropolitan area	590	6.43	70.23	$ 19.26	$ 40,070
Alaska nonmetropolitan area	140	1.43	15.58	$ 23.20	$ 48,250
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area	200	1.43	15.58	$ 23.32	$ 48,510
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area	80	1.32	14.39	$ 17.54	$ 36,480
Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area	40	0.41	4.52	$ 17.74	$ 36,900

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Helpers--Extraction Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area	200	1.43	15.58	$ 23.32	$ 48,510
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 23.22	$ 48,300
Alaska nonmetropolitan area	140	1.43	15.58	$ 23.20	$ 48,250
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 22.65	$ 47,120
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 19.82	$ 41,240

About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.

(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.

Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021